


New Rome's Coffee and Confectionery Shop

by Greeks vs Geeks (Wonderfullydepressedandlustful)



Series: Jasico fic dump [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A lot of other characters - Freeform, Everyone wants them to get together, High School AU, Jason is trying really hard, M/M, Moviebuff!Nico, New Rome's Coffee and Confectionery Shop, Nico is loved and happy, barista!Nico, coffee shop AU, demisexual nico, fluff overload, piper and percy making bets, slight mention of Solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-04-06 07:11:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4212669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderfullydepressedandlustful/pseuds/Greeks%20vs%20Geeks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico working at a coffee shop and Jason trying to get to know him. Their friends decide to intervene and help the two. Nico is not amused.</p><p>Just a mini-fic that is starting to turn into something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Its All Started With A Plant

Nico was pretty sure that if he hadn’t killed Persephone’s favorite plant, he wouldn’t be in this situation. But since Gladilus (he didn’t understand why she named her plants, but whatever) had met an early grave, he was forced to get a job. And that meant getting one at the local mall. It had taken a few different shops and a plead to Reyna, but he had gotten one as a cashier of “New Rome’s Coffee and Confectionery Shop”, a candy/bakery/coffee shop that she was the manager of. The best part was that all he had to do was take the order and Mike would do the rest. No chance of messing up the complicated orders that these preppy high school students ordered.  
Despite the fact that it was a well-known shop, most days Nico didn’t have to deal with many people. Reyna had made sure to assign him the least busy days, knowing his lack of social skills. So, when the loud bell on top of the door rang, Nico was a little surprised and put away his algebra homework.

"Welcome to New Rome’s Coffee and Confectionery Shop." He called out, trying to see over the machines. He had to stifle a groan as the sight of a letterman jacket and neatly cut blonde hair. Great, a jock. That was great.

"Hey! You must be new to this shop. I don’t recognize you." The guy answered as he came into view. The guy looked similar, though it might be because he had blonde hair and blue eyes. The only thing that stuck out was a small scar on his lip. The guy stared at him for a minute longer before grinning. "No wait! You’re that sophomore kid that hangs out with Frank and Percy! Nico right?"

And now Nico was sure he knew this guy. Not many people remembered his name, even if he did hang out with Percy. “Yep. And you’re Jason, Reyna’s ex. What would you like to order?”

This comment caused Jason to turn a bright red. “Um, yeah. That’s me. But it was a mutual break up.”

"I don’t really care. Reyna is over it and dating someone new now. Are you here to see her, or are you really going to order something?" Nico asked again, itching to pull out his homework and finish it. Once he got home, he had other stuff to do.

"Oh, a brownie square, hot chocolate, and a blueberry muffin." Jason ordered, looking at the display case. Nico grabbed the two pastries and muttered the hot chocolate order to Mike. "So, why did you start working here all of a sudden? Reyna doesn’t really hire that many people unless she thinks they need it."

Nico handed the pastries over. “That will be $8.36. Do you have a member’s card?”

Jason tilted his head and smiled. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

"You don’t shut up enough, do you?" Nico retorted. Jason let out a laugh and slid over the money and the purple card.

"I guess I don’t." A silence fell over them, with Jason staring at Nico and Nico praying that Mike would finish the hot chocolate. Thankfully, Mike finished it and handed it to Nico with a smile of sympathy.

"Here is you’re hot chocolate. Have a nice day." Nico muttered, still feeling Jason’s gaze on him. Jason grabbed the cup and small bag of pastries.

"Thanks. I’ll-I’ll see you around." Jason said.

"Probably not." it was mumbled under his breath, but apparently the football star heard it. Jason gave him another smile as he walked towards the door.  
"No, I’ll definitely see you at school. Believe me, I’m pretty persistent when it comes to making new friends. As soon as he was out of sight, Nico slammed his face down on the counter. He sensed that it was not going to be a very peaceful week.


	2. School Lunch is Step Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason goes looking for Nico the next day at school

Jason wasn’t kidding when he said that he was going to find Nico at school. The younger boy (he had found out from Annabeth that Nico was a sophomore) had made quite the impression on him and he found Nico to be a very interesting person. Finding him was the problem. They went to one of the biggest schools in Manhattan, and their school was an open campus. Jason had been walking around for 20 minutes before he finally caught a glimpse of a familiar braid and purple jacket. Reyna. Wherever she was, Nico would be. He walked closer to see that she wasn’t the only one at the table. Nico was there too, but he was sitting next to a blonde boy that had his arm thrown over his shoulder and Percy, who sat directly across from Nico and was currently laughing his ass off.

Jason ran over to the table. “Hey Perc!”

Percy looked up and waved at him. “Jason! I see you decided to grace us with your presence.” Percy said as Jason got closer. Jason sighed and sat down right next to him.

“I think you’re starting to get worse with puns than Leo.”

Percy looked extremely offended at this but Reyna shot him a look. “Nice to see you Jason. I heard you visited the bakery yesterday.” She said. Jason grinned.

“Yep, I met Nico there.” Jason said, turning towards said boy. “Hey, I told you that I would find you today.”

Nico groaned and put his head on the table. “Please don’t join these losers in torturing me. The only reason I’m here is because Reyna’s girlfriend is at a meeting and we can’t sit with her today.” The blonde kid next to Nico laughed.

“Come on Sunshine, don’t be like that. You know we love you and are just messing with you.” He said, ruffling Nico’s hair. Nico turned his head slightly and glared at the boy.

“Don’t call me that, Solace.”

“Whatever you say darlin’. But I’m just here to make sure you actually eat and don’t pull a Houdini on us like you do most days. Got to keep your health up, right Reyna?”

Reyna smirked and took a sip of her drink. “Wouldn’t want to repeat what happened at the beginning of the year. You know, the whole dog incident. You’re lucky Will was right there when it happened or who knows what would have become of our dear Nico.”

“What was the dog incident?” Jason asked, suddenly concerned. From how they were talking about it, it sounded like something that he should be concerned about. Nico picked his head up and looked straight at Jason.

“It was nothing.” Percy snorted.

“You got attacked by a wild dog, stabbed it with a pen, broke its jaw, and threw it across the alleyway and you only got some scratches on your arm.” Percy stated, leaning on the table. Nico blushed and looked down, mumbling something.

“Yeah, and then he didn’t tell anyone about the scratches until they got slightly infected and I had to take care of him.” Will added, with his arm still around Nico’s shoulder. “He was under doctor’s watch for a whole week after that.”

“Will all of you shut up please? It wasn’t that big of a deal. The dog attacked and I followed my instincts.” Nico said. Jason raised an eyebrow.

“You have some killer instincts then Nico. I’m gonna start hanging out with you now if you can do this stuff off of instinct.” Jason joked slightly. But really, he was intrigued by this boy. There was something about him that Jason wanted to know more. Nico looked at him for a second before groaning.

“You sound like you’re joking but I know that look in your eye. You are going to join these people in torturing and I am going to have to put up with you.” Nico whined. Jason laughed.

“Well, if you don’t want me to sit with you at lunch, I can always come to the shop and bother you.” Jason said, a smile on his face. Nico’s complaints were drowned out by the others’ laughter. Yep he was definitely sticking around.


	3. A Group Hang Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico is sent by his friends to cancel plans with Jason and things don't really end up like he planned.

Nico wasn’t sure how he got into this situation. He blamed it on Percy. He had gotten sick and decided to not tell anyone. So when Reyna drank his coke after him, she got it too. Then Will decided to come to the rescue and babysit both of them. It wasn’t until 20 minutes ago that Nico had remembered the plans that they all had with Jason and a couple of his friends. It wasn’t like Nico had his number to where he could just cancel and Percy and Reyna were slightly out of commission. Which led him to be standing outside the food court of the mall, waiting for Jason and whoever else was coming to join them.

“Nico! Hey!” A familiar voice called from behind him. Nico turned around to see Jason jogging up to him, weaving through the crowd. Nico sighed and walked slowly over to the overly excited jock. Just tell him that you can’t do it and you just came because to cancel. Tell him everyone got sick and that you are taking care of them. Anything. But seeing the dumb look on the blonde’s face just made Nico fell guilty about saying no to him.

“Calm down. It’s 9 in the morning. Why the hell would you make plans this early in the morning? Who else wakes up this early?” Nico mumbled. Jason was about to answer when a shout went into the air.

“SUPERMAN! THE LEO IS IN THE HOUSE!” Jason blushed a bright red as a short Mexican boy ran up and swung an arm over his shoulder. Well, he tried to. Nico glared at Jason.

“Really?”

“Reyna was supposed to calm him down.” Jason explained. Leo grinned. “Speaking of which, where is Reyna and the others?”

“They both got sick and Will decided to watch them and make sure that they survive their epidemic and not kill each other. So, here I am.” Nico answered, sticking his hands in his pockets. Jason nodded, looking concerned.

“I hope they get better. Well, I guess it will be you, me, Leo, Piper, Frank and-“

“Nico?”

“Hazel?” Nico turned towards his half-sister’s voice to see that she had her arm around Frank Zhang, a junior that was friends with Jason and Percy. Nico stared at the two of them as Frank quickly took his hand off Hazel’s waist and scooted away. Nico never understood why the guy was so afraid of him, but it did have its benefits. Like he knew that Frank would never do anything to his little sister, who was just a freshman. “I didn’t know you were friends with Jason.”

“And I didn’t know you were the guy that he can’t stop talking about.” Hazel stated, taking Frank’s hand. Frank might be afraid of Nico, but Hazel knew that he was just messing around most times. Jason started coughing behind him, causing Nico to turn back in time to see Jason doing the ‘cut it out’ gesture.

“Can’t stop talking about?” Jason was still the shade of tomato.

“I have no idea what they are talking about, but we should get going. Piper said that she would meet us at the bowling alley. Have you guys eaten or do you want to pick up something now?” Nico’s stomach grumbled in response. “I didn’t eat breakfast.” He mumbled, bending his head down so that he could hide behind the collar of his aviator’s jacket. Hazel scrunched her eyebrows.

“I left pancakes in the oven for you to eat.” She said. Frank’s eyes widened.

“Wait, you made pancakes?”

“And bacon, sausage, biscuits, gumbo, and I think we have some fried shrimp left over from dinner last night.” She rattled off. Leo whistled.

“Man, can we go over to your house and eat?” He asked. Hazel shrugged.

“Sure. Hey, didn’t we get the latest Marvel movie?” Nico nodded and was about to speak, but was interrupted.

“Oh, I haven’t seen that yet. Do you have the others too?” Jason asked. Nico nodded once again. Leo started to type furiously on his phone.

“Piper said that she can meet us at Nico’s house. Let’s go!” And that is how Nico ended up in his own apartment again with a bunch of people on his couch and floor, watching a Marvel marathon and eating some of Hazel’s food. Nico wouldn’t admit to it later on, but he ended up snuggling next to Jason. The only thing he would admit to after that would be that he got the blonde’s phone number. ‘Just in case.’


	4. Text Messages Bring People Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some dates are initiated and Jason has a habit of naming his friends in his contact list

6:34 PM from “Coffee Shop Cutie”

_Hey_

Jason looked at his phone in shock. It had been two weeks since he had given Nico his number and this was the first time that the boy had texted him. Piper raised an eyebrow.

“You ok, Jason? You look like you’re about to shit your pants.” She asked. They were sitting at a coffee shop, waiting for Reyna to show up to take Piper on a movie date.

“I’m fine. It’s just that…Nico texted me.” He explained. Piper peeked at his phone and raised an eyebrow.

“Coffee Shop Cutie? You’re already in too deep. So are you going to answer?” Piper asked, taking a sip of coffee. Jason immediately started typing.

6:35 to “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_Hey Nico. What’s goin on?_

“Simple. That’s good. So, what’s the end game here?” Piper was still staring at his phone. Jason blushed and set it down.

“What do you mean by end game? I can’t just talk to him?”

Piper raised an eyebrow. “Sweetie, you can’t just talk to him seeing that you are head over heels for him and it hasn’t even been a month. You need a plan of attack or you aren’t going to get you ‘Coffee Shop Cutie” as you put it. Because I have a feeling that Will might be moving in on Nico.”

6:37 from “Coffee Shop Cutie”

_I’m bored and everybody bailed on movie night U?_

“I didn’t know he had a movie night.” Jason stated. Piper nodded.

“Yeah, that is where Reyna is most Saturdays, but I convinced her that tonight was date night. And Percy suddenly made plans for everyone else. He was the one that gave me the idea for the date today actually.” She explained. It was Jason’s turn to raise an eyebrow before turning back to his phone.

6:38 to “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_Keepin Piper company until Reyna picks her up for their date._

_Wat movie night?_

“Why was Percy making plans for everyone?” Jason asked. Piper shrugged.

“Well, he didn’t make plans, per say. More like he told us about certain things that was going on this weekend. Annabeth and him are on a double date with Hazel and Frank. Leo is at a mechanics convention. Will is shadowing a surgeon at the hospital. And Reyna and I are going to see Ouija Board. I’m surprised that he didn’t talk you or Nico into something.”

6:40 from “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_Every Saturday, we rent a bunch of movies and do a whole marathon._

_We usually have a theme. Today was black and white horror._

Jason stared at the text for a second. “Black and white horror movies? Those are my favorite. I wonder why he didn’t invite me.”

“Why don’t you ask him, idiot.”

6:41 to “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_And I wasn’t invited? Those r my favorite!!!_

As soon as he sent the text, the door opened and Reyna walked in. Strolling over to their booth, she slid in Piper’s side and grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Hey guys, what’s going on?”

“Jason is texting Nico about the cancelled movie marathon.” Piper replied before Jason could speak. Reyna looked at Jason’s phone and snorted.

“Coffee Shop Cutie. Really? Does Nico know that you put that as his name?” She asked, taking a sip of Piper’s drink.

“No and neither of you are going to tell him.” Jason answered, blushing furiously.

6:43 from “Coffee Shop Cutie”

_Didnt Percy invite u?_

_I asked him to since he has classes with u…_

“Percy….” Jason growled.

“What did he do?”

6:43 to “Broseidon” 

_What the hell dude!_

6:44 from “Broseidon” 

_Wut?_

6:45 to “Broseidon” 

_Y didnt you tell me that Nico invited me to movie night?_

6:45 from “Broseidon”

_Did he invite u now? Thru text?_

6:46 to “Broseidon” 

_Yeah…._

6:47 to “Broseidon” 

_Why? What did you do?_

6:47 from “Broseidon” 

_ur welcome bro_

Jason stared at his phone in disbelief. Reyna cleared her throat. “So what happened?”

“I think Percy just set me up with Nico without telling anyone and actually succeeding.” Jason answered Piper whistled.

“Looks like he isn’t a complete idiot. So what did Nico say?”

“Shit!”

6:48 to “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_Hey sorry about that. I had to go yell at Percy._

6:49 from “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_Its ok._

_So do you want to come over and watch them?_

Jason stood up and grabbed his coat and coffee. Reyna and Piper got up as well. “So I guess you are going over to Nico’s house for movie night?”

Jason nodded. “Black and White horror films. How could I not?” Reyna shrugged and wrapped an arm around Piper’s waist.

“You should grab some McDonalds on the way. Just order a bunch of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets and fries. He’s addicted to that place.” Reyna said. They walked out of the shop together. “Bye Jason. Don’t hurt Nico or I will have to kill you.”

6:52 to “Coffee Shop Cutie” 

_I’ll be there in 5 minutes_

_Don’t start without me_

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

9:28 from “Pretty Princess”

_So, how’s the date going?_

_We just got done with the movie and r gettin a bite_

_Wanna join?_

Jason looked down at his phone and then to his side where Nico was curled up in several blankets, eyes on the screen. They were on the 2nd movie out of 10 and they were only halfway through the McDonalds feast Jason had bought. Now, both of the boys were wrapped in blankets (Nico’s house was like a freezer and it was November in New York City. What the hell?) and slowly inching towards each other.

9:30 to “Pretty Princess” 

_nah u guys go ahead_

_we’re fine and we still got a lot of movies to go anyway_

“Who are you texting during the movies? You about to miss the best part!” Nico complained, looking at Jason’s phone. What was with these people and snooping today? “Pretty Princess? Who is that?”

“Um, Piper. It’s an inside joke between me, Piper, and Leo.” Jason said, blushing. Nico nodded and tried to read the text message, but Jason hid the screen.

“Well ok then.” They continued to watch the movie in silence until Jason’s phone lit up again. “Ok, what is Piper texting you about now?”

9:34 from “Pretty Princess” 

_we’ll be done in an hour_

_can we join you guys for the last couple of ones_

_Reyna wants to hang out with her little brother_

“Um, they want to join us after they grab a bite to eat. Piper was asking if that was ok.” Jason said, leaving out the little brother part. Reyna had started considering Nico to be her little brother but he didn’t really like it. Nico nodded and scooted closer to Jason. For body heat of course.

“Sure, if they want.”

9:35 to “Pretty Princess” 

_fine by us._

_Just don’t embarrass me please_

9:36 from “Pretty Princess”

_Now why would I do that, Sparky?_

_;)_

Jason groaned silently, but decided not to focus on that. He scooted close to Nico and put his arm behind the smaller boy. They still had an hour of relaxation. Might as well enjoy it.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 

10:45 from “Reyna (do not answer if she is mad)” 

_Hey we’re outside the door_

10:47 from “Reyna (do not answer if she is mad)” 

_Open the door. It’s freezing out here_

10:50 from “Reyna (do not answer if she is mad)”

_JASON GRACE, IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR NOW_

_I WILL CATASTRATE YOU!!!!_

They had finally gotten into the apartment (once Piper picked the lock with a bobby pin. Reyna decided that she didn’t want to know where she learned it from) and Reyna was ready to go in guns a blazing until they reached the living room. A movie was still playing with very fake zombies wandering around, but her focus was on the couch. Specifically, the two boys wrapped in each other’s arms and a mountain of blankets. McDonald’s wrappers and drinks were everywhere, but it only made the scene more adorable. Reyna smirked while Piper giggled and took several pictures.

“So worth standing out in the cold. I guess Percy’s plan worked. And now we got blackmail on both of them.” Piper stated. Reyna nodded and grabbed Piper’s hand.

“So, do you still want to watch the movies? I know for a fact that there is an unused guest bedroom that we can use.” Reyna asked, giving Piper a lustful stare. Piper glanced at the couch again. “They both sleep like the dead.”

“You go onto the room. I’ll be in there in a sec.” Piper said, giving Reyna a short kiss that promised more. “And don’t start without me.”

“No promises. Hurry.” Reyna called as she made her way down the hallway. Piper pulled out her phone, smiling.

10:53 to “Aquaman”

**3 attachment inside**

_U win. I’ll give you the 10 bucks on Monday._

_P.S. I bet you a Starbucks trip that they won’t_

_admit they’re dating for 2 more weeks_

10:56 from “Aquaman”

_u r on! They will admit it by Friday_


	5. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyna leaves early and Nico gets help from someone else

Nico sighed and slid down the door. Reyna had gone to see her sister for Winter Break now, meaning that the store was closed. Of course, she forgot to tell Nico this or give him the keys to the store so that he could still run it. Which lead him to sitting in from Of New Rome’s Confectionary and Coffee Shop, wondering what he was supposed to do now. Closing his eyes, he considered calling Will up and asking him what he was doing. Will had mentioned something about a concert tonight. On instinct, Nico pulled out his phone and unlocked it. Looking down, he was slightly surprised to see that he had a text message waiting.

3:49 from ‘Blonde Superman’ 

_Hey Nico, wat r u doin today?_

Nico stared at the message for a minute before replying. He could always hang out with Jason. He was really cool to be around and they could watch some movies together. Thinking about the movies brought the memory of a few weeks ago when Reyna and Piper had caught the two of them on the floor, asleep and wrapped around each other. Somehow, everyone found out about that and had been embarrassing Nico more than usual. And then Jason had been acting weird too, texting Nico a lot more and always adding emojis and complimenting Nico on random stuff. When he had mentioned it to Hazel, she had just smiled at him and shook her head like he was a small child.

3:52 to ‘Blonde Superman’ 

_Contemplating my life choices._

_Wondering what I am going to do today since Reyna_

_left and didn’t give me the keys to the shop._

Nico closed his eyes again and wondered how long he could sit here before the mall security came and told him to move. He could always go home.

“Do you always sit in front of the shop if it isn’t open?” A familiar voice asked. Nico’s eyes snapped open to see Jason standing over him, his backpack by his side and the keys to the shop swinging around his fingers. Nico scrambled up and coughed to cover up the blush appearing on his face.

“So Reyna gave you the keys instead of me. I’m not sure how to feel about this.” Nico stated as Jason unlocked the door and opened it for him. Jason shrugged and gave him a small smile. He had been doing that for a while now. It made Nico happy that he gave him those types of smiles, though he didn’t really understand why. He chose to ignore the feeling and turn on the lights.

“Reyna handed them off as she was rushing out of 5th period. I used to work here actually, assistant manager, but I quit to focus on my studies. So I am here to help you.” Jason explained, helping Nico turn on the machines and put on an apron. Nico looked at him with confusion.

“What happened to Mike helping me? He usually makes the beverages while I take the orders and get the pastries.” Nico asked, counting the money and pulling over the contraband stool so that he could sit. Reyna had this weird thing about standing up straight to show respect or something, but Nico was rather lazy and snuck in a stool.

Jason just smiled at him. “I can make the drinks you know.” He stated simply. Nico blushed at his slight underestimation of Jason and turned back to the counter as the bell rang, signaling a customer.

“Welcome to New Rome’s Confectionary and Coffee Shop!” Nico called, getting into business mode. The shift passed rather quickly, with Nico and Jason joking around when they weren’t helping customers. By the time they closed it down, Nico was smiling a lot more than he was used to. His cheeks were starting to hurt actually. They were walking towards the parking lot, since Jason had offered to walk Nico home and at some point, Jason had thrown his arm around Nico’s shoulders, but Nico wasn’t going to say anything. It felt nice, very natural, and Nico was happy. That, of course. Only lasted until he spotted the familiar blonde head of hair walking towards them. Will looked back and forth at them before sighing.

“So you actually went through with it, Grace. I concede. You win.” He stated, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket. Nico gave them both a confused look, but didn’t say anything. He was smarter than that. Will looked at Nico and winked. “We still on for the convention in February?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah of course. Why wouldn’t we be?” Will just shrugged and waved goodbye to them. Nico turned back to Jason. “What was that about?”

Jason was blushing, a lot more than the cold would have made him. “Um, well, Solace accidently jumped the gun on that, but I was planning on asking you anyway.” Jason coughed, somehow turning even redder. “Um, so there is this black and white movie theatre an hour outside the city and they are having a marathon of the classics tomorrow night. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to see it. I mean, you like movies a lot, especially old ones and when I heard of it I thought about you-wait that sounds creepy-but its ok if-”

Nico cut him off. “Sure that sounds fun. We could grab a bite to eat before then.” Jason seemed shocked at his answer, but gave him a small smile and put his hands in his coat pockets.

“Yeah cool. So, um, we should probably get walking. Hazel is probably wondering where you are.” He muttered. Nico smiled back and they started walking again. They walked in silence, and not that it was anyone’s business in Nico’s mind, but after a while, they held each other’s hand. For warmth only. That is what Nico would tell everyone else. But he knew he was lying by the smile that stayed on his face for the rest of the night.


	6. The Movie Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Nico go on their movie date and some confessions are made

Nico looked over the list of movies as Jason was trying to go through the traffic of Manhattan. Since the theatre was an hour out, they decided that it was better to just take Jason’s car and leave a few hours early to get out of the city. Jason had been cursing under his breath for the last 30 minutes as cars swerved in and out of lanes, honking at each other.

“These are some great movies. I haven’t even seen them, but I have heard of them. The Philadelphia Story? I don’t think I’ve heard of this one.” Nico said, still entrapped in the program. It was going to be a 6 movie marathon that ended at midnight, so they were going to grab dinner before and have some snacks in between. That is, if they ever made it outside of the city.

“It’s about a recently divorced woman that is about to marry another man when she meets another man and then runs into her ex-husband and she can’t decide which one she wants, leading into a rather complicated love triangle-square thing.” Jason rattled off. Thalia had made him watch it with her when she was still living with him. Nico wrinkled his nose.

“I don’t like love stories much, but it will be nice to see the effects anyway.” Nico replied. Jason glanced at the boy sitting next to him. Apparently, Hazel made him dress up since he wasn’t wearing a black t shirt and some baggy jeans. He had a white graphic t-shirt that said ‘I am going to kill you regardless if I tell you or not’, some nice black skinny jeans, and what looked like brand new black converse. And of course, his giant aviators jacket that he wore everywhere.

“Do you want to go into the industry or something? You were talking about the makeup they were using when we were watching the horror films a couple of weeks ago.” Jason asked, looking for the tunnel exit. He hated driving in New York. He hated it. Why were these people so stupid? Why couldn’t they wait their turn? Nico nodded.

“Yeah, I like the special effects and all. We don’t really have that type of class at school, but I have gone to a few conventions and all. That’s where Will and I are going in February, actually. A special effects convention. He learns about anatomy and I learn some new techniques. That’s why I like movies so much.” Nico paused for a second at that. “So did you and Will have a competition or something going about me? Or what was that about?”

If Jason had been drinking something, he would have done a spit take. Drumming his fingers to the light music that was coming from the radio, he made his exit to go through the tunnel. “Um, not really a competition per say. We both knew that we, well, that we both kind of-um-”

“Jason, I know that you and Will like me. I’m not an idiot.” Nico stated, still flipping through the program. This time, Jason did sputter and jerk the wheel a bit, causing a few people to honk at him.

“W-what?”

For the first time, Nico looked at Jason. “I mean, I’ve noticed that everyone has been acting weird around me. It is very obvious. And I already knew that Will liked me. I had a slight guess that maybe you did, but I thought that I was imagining it. And then last night just confirmed it. So if you are trying to hide that fact, then you have already failed.” Despite how calm Nico sounded, he was getting progressively redder as he continued to talk. They were silent for a few minutes, with the radio playing one of the more popular songs.

“So how do you feel about me?”

Nico looked down at his lap. “Um, I don’t really know. I’ve only liked one other person than you and that kind of turned into a rather long and painful crush. If you’re asking how I feel about guys in general, then I can tell you that I am attracted to them, romantically at least. But I like hanging out with you a lot. You’re pretty cool and I like talking to you. You’re the only person besides Reyna that I text on a regular basis, and that is because Reyna likes me to check in with her and we end up complaining about other people to each other. But, I don’t really know yet.” He explained, not looking up. Jason nodded.

“Well, I can wait until you figure it out. And even if you decide that you don’t like me, I would still like to stay friends.” Jason stated. Nico looked up in surprise.

“Really?”

“Really.” Jason smiled as he responded. “So where do you want to eat?”

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

As Jason and Nico exited the movie theatre, Jason couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Nico’s eyes were sparkling. “That was amazing! I mean, sure I have movie marathons every weekend, but to see the classics on the big screen in black and white? That was great! Black and white makes everything so much more dramatic and imaginative, since you can’t see the colors of everything. And the makeup, for the time period, was awesome. Nothing like today, but still great to see.” Nico ranted as they walked back to the car. Jason’s smile grew into a face splitting grin.

“So you had a good time?”

Nico flashed him a smile, and Jason was pretty sure his knees buckled for a second. “Yes, thanks for taking me here. This was a great date.”

They both stopped at those words, with Jason’s eyes widening and Nico’s cheeks becoming red again. “So this is a date?”

Nico looked down at the ground. “Um, yeah. I guess it is. If you want it to be though.”

Jason was pretty sure that he was going to be smiling for the rest of the night. “Definitely.”

The hour drive back into the city was a pretty quiet one, with both of the boys staring out the windows, or in Jason’s case driving, and smiling like idiots. And as they got to Nico’s apartment, though they wouldn’t tell anyone for a week, there was a goodnight kiss. Or two.


	7. Friends Overreact Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has to face his friend's reactions to something Jason did.

Nico felt his face burn as Jason walked away, along with everyone staring at him. He should have told them about the date, or something. Then maybe they wouldn’t be looking at him like this. But honestly, he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. And Jason had been kissing him on the cheek and forehead for a while now. Just not in front of everyone else. And he probably wouldn’t have done so if Nico hadn’t reminded him about the date they had at the bowling center this Saturday.

“So, do you have something you want to tell us, Nico? Like on why Jason just kissed you.” Reyna gritted out. She looked angry, but at Nico or Jason, he really couldn’t tell.

“Um, well, me and Jason went on a date about 2 weeks ago when winter break first let out. And so we’ve just been hanging out more. We are going to the bowling center this Saturday. And it was just a kiss on the cheek.” Nico mumbled. Piper was grinning widely and held her hand out to a dejected Percy.

“Pay up. I told you they had been dating since winter break started. I could tell from Jason’s goo goo eyes.” She said. Nico blushed even more.

“You are betting on my relationships?” He asked angrily. God, did these people have no sense of privacy? They all looked away at that point. Nico shook his head and got up.“You are all terrible people. Please stay out of my relationships. I don’t need any more mother hens. I have Hazel.”

With that, he went off to go track Jason down. He found him walking to his next class. Jason stopped when he saw Nico coming after him. “Hey Nico, do you need something?”

“They know about us going on dates. They think we are dating. Are we dating?” Nico rushed out, still trying to figure out his thoughts. Once he realized what he said however, he started blushing like crazy. Jason was also blushing, along with gapping like a fish.

“I-is that your way of asking me out?” Jason asked, confused. Nico looked down at the ground.

“Um, I mean if you want to. I guess, I don’t know. That sounded a lot better in my head. Nico mumbled. Jason grinned.

“Will you go out with me Nico?” Jason asked. Nico looked up, slightly shocked at the question. He knew that they were close to dating, but it was never really something that they addressed. It still left Nico speechless. So instead, he walked the rest of the way to Jason, pulled him down by the collar and kissed him hard. Jason made a weird squeaking sound, but returned to kiss, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist. They were so wrapped into this kiss however, that they didn’t hear the bell ring. It wasn’t until there was a loud gasp, followed by cheers, that they pulled away. Standing a few feet away was all of their friends in different states of emotion. Nico quickly let go of Jason and proceeded to blush and stutter. Jason was smiling happily and kept his arms wrapped around Nico. Reyna glared at Jason while the rest of them were smiling, even Will.

“Jason, may I have a word with you? In private?” Reyna growled. Jason’s smile dropped and a look of fear crossed his face.

“I don’t think I have a choice.” Jason mumbled. Reyna strolled over to them and grabbed him by his arm, dragging him away.

“You don’t.”

Nico watched them for a second before remembering something. “Hey Jason!” Jason looked back and raised an eyebrow. Nico smiled softly. “If you survive, then yes.” Jason never looked happier being dragged to his death.


	8. Nosy Friends Cause Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Jason's date doesn't go exactly as planned because of a certain friend

“You know, when I said we were going bowling this Saturday, it wasn’t an invitation for all of you to join us.” Nico said grumpily as his group of friends started to put on their shoes and pick out the balls. Despite everything happening at school, Nico and Jason had managed to convince that they were still just friends and that they weren’t in a hurry to officially start dating, much to the displeasure of Piper, who had to pay Percy in Starbuck trips. So, when Jason and Nico had arrived at Brooklyn Bowl, in the allotted hours that they could since they were under 21, to see their large group of friends waiting for them and staring at the hipster setting, he was slightly confused.

Percy grinned at him. “Well, since you guys are friends, we thought this was just a friendly outing that we could join. Unless this is something else besides a friendly outing?”

Thankfully, Annabeth took control of the situation before Nico could say something. Flicking her boyfriend’s arm, she rolled her eyes. “You are being so obvious. Please stop. Leave them alone.” Nico gave Annabeth a ‘thank you’ look, and tied his shoes. Glancing over at Jason, he shrugged his shoulders sadly. Sure, they might have told their friends that they were just friends, but that was because Nico didn’t want everyone meddling in his love life. This was supposed to be a date, not that Nico was going to admit it.

“So I got everyone’s name plugged in, let’s do this. You are all going down!” Leo exclaimed from the control seat, ignoring the entire situation. Reyna scoffed and stood up.

“I highly doubt that.”

“You think you can beat me, Arellano?”

Reyna smirked. “Oh I don’t think, I know.” Nico sighed. This wasn’t going to be the relaxing, fun date that they had planned. No, their friends were too competitive and it was probably going to get ugly really fast. Jason sat next to Nico and leaned closer to his ear.

“Next time, we can just watch Netflix at my house and eat unhealthy food.” Jason whispered. Nico smiled and nodded, bumping Jason’s shoulder. That sounded perfect.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

“I can’t believe you got us banned from the bowling alley in less than an hour.” Nico grumbled, glaring at Leo and Percy. Leo shrugged.

“It wasn’t my fault that Percy fell.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “But you didn’t have to push him down the rest of the lane and yell ‘get a strike for papa!’” Piper nodded in agreement, keeping her arm around Reyna’s waist.

“Yeah, and we still don’t know who would have won.” She pointed out. Percy, despite being the accomplice to this crime seeing that he actually slid down the lane and proceeded to knock down the pins instead of just getting up and walking back in the gutter, was completely focused on Nico and Jason, who were walking close to each other and talking in whispers.

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?” Nico looked up at the green eyed boy.

“Trying to remember a place in the area that we can eat at. We were originally going to go to this authentic Italian restaurant that Jason found, but it doesn’t seat this many people. How about we head to my place? I think Hazel and Frank are there anyway, and she probably cooked something.” Nico answered, getting his phone out of his pocket to text his sister their plans. Will cocked his head at the dark haired boy.

“How many people does the place sit?”

“Two most of the time, but it has really great service and I heard their food is to die for.” Jason answered. Percy immediately wandered closer to the two.

“So you guys were going to go to a restaurant that only seats two people at a table? That’s an interesting place to eat at for just friends going on a friendly outing don’t you think?” Percy hinted at. Annabeth groaned at her boyfriend’s obviousness. Nico couldn’t help but agree. Jason shrugged.

“I don’t see why it would be. It was just going to be me and Nico hanging out so I didn’t see a reason to find a restaurant that was for large groups. If I knew you were going to join us, I would have found a different restaurant.” Jason responded innocently. Percy narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, Nico interrupted.

“Hazel made lasagna and said that she is expecting us in 20 minutes so how about we get on the subway and head that way?” his question was answered through loud exclamations of yes and thank gods.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 

As soon as they got into the apartment, Nico pulled Jason towards the restroom. Thankfully, the others were distracted by the smell of food and didn’t see them leave. He pushed Jason in and quickly closed the door. Jason looked at the dark haired boy in amusement.

“Yes?”

Nico sighed in relief. “Sorry, I just needed to get away from everyone and talk to you for a bit.” He stated, feeling slightly embarrassed for his sudden action. Jason chuckled slightly.

“And so you thought the restroom was the best place? Ok then, I can work with this. What’s on your mind?” Nico looked conflicted for a couple of seconds, before stepping forward and slowly wrapping his arms around Jason’s waist, settling his face on the taller boy’s shoulder. Jason placed his arms around the smaller boy and smiled slightly to himself. Nico didn’t show affection a lot, and almost never hugged, so Jason was going to enjoy it for as much as possible.

“Ok, I didn’t really want to talk. I just wanted to be alone with for at least a second on what was supposed to be a date before Percy decided to stick his nose into it.” Nico muttered in Jason’s shoulder. Before Jason could respond, the door swung open to reveal the very boy they were talking about.

“I knew it! I knew it was a date! You two are dating!” He exclaimed, causing Nico to move away from Jason. Jason wanted to kill Percy at that moment.

“Were you listening to our conversation?” Nico growled, clearly mad. However, the commotion had brought the others to the restroom door. Piper looked at the three boys in confusion.

“Um, what’s going on here?”

Percy immediately turned to her and pointed an accusatory finger at Nico and Jason. “They’re dating! This was a date! I knew it! I was right!” Piper immediately grinned.

“Really? It was a date? Then that means that I won the bet seeing that you said they wouldn’t get together til next week. Which means you owe me 3 Starbucks trips, plus the 2 we already went on.” Piper mentioned. Percy slowly put his finger down as realization hit him.

“Wait-no- I mean, of course they’re not dating. I was just kidding. Nope, not dating at all.” He tried to cover up.

“Actually, we are dating, as you so kindly pointed out. Piper wins. Now, please get out of my apartment so me and Jason can finish our date.” Nico cut in. Annabeth sighed and started pushing Percy towards the door.

“Sorry Nico, Jason. See you guys at school. Have a nice weekend.” She called, causing the rest of the group to trail after her. Piper gave Nico a thumbs up as she left. Soon, the only people left in the apartment was Nico, Jason, Hazel, and Frank. They were silent for a minute before Hazel gestured to the large pan on the counter.

“Lasagna anyone?”


	9. Nico is Getting Pretty Sick of Bets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason fucks up, Nico is sick of bets, and Drew Tanaka should keep her mouth shut

Nico wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he met up with Jason before school started and proceeded to walk to class holding his hand. Maybe stares, whispering, even a rude name or two. People whining and exchanging money wasn’t on the list though. In hind sight, he should have expected it though.

“Seriously, don't these people have lives?” he whispered under his breath, causing Jason to snort as they turned another corner. There was another groan and Nico saw Travis Stoll pass over 50 bucks to his brother.

“I’m sure they have lives, but they like to devote a large amount of it to see what we’re doing with ours.” Jason responded. “So what class are we going to?”

“I’m going to my Algebra 2 class. You are going to be late for your U.S. History class and then I’m going to laugh when you get detention from your teacher because they won’t accept the excuse of walking your boyfriend to class.” Nico retorted instantly. Jason playfully frowned at the shorter brunette.

“How mean of you. And I think it is a perfectly acceptable excuse. I mean, what if something terrible happens before you get to class?”

Nico gave him a confused look.“What terrible thing could happen from the front door to K hall?”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. You could get runned over by some seniors or a poisonous snake could escape and attack you as you walk pass the science hall.”

Nico shook his head in disbelief. “Snakes are venomous, not poisonous.”

“Smartass.”

However, before Nico could give another sarcastic retort to that, someone blocked their way. Nico groaned at the sight of pink streaked hair and 4 inch heels. He did not want to deal with Drew Tanaka.

“This is not happening.” She stated simply, pointing at their interlocked hands. This was the reaction Nico had prepared for.

“What do you want Tanaka?” He asked tiredly. She glanced at him like he was dog poop on the bottom of her shoes.

“I want this to stop. You two are not supposed to date. That was not the bet.” She insisted, crossing her hairs. Nico was so sick and tired of bets.

“Look, I don’t care what bet you are referring to right now, so how about you move out of our way so we can get to class.” Nico shot back. Drew raised her eyebrow and looked at Jason.

“You didn’t tell him, Jason? Wow, just how much money did Piper bet you?”

“Piper?” The two of them said in confusion. And then a look of realization hit Jason.

“You made a bet with Piper? About what?” Nico asked Jason. Before Jason could respond, Drew laughed.

“Oh sweetie, that’s precious that you still don’t get it. Piper and Jason’s bet was about you. I’m pretty sure that Superman here would have never even talked to you if they hadn’t made the bet. I thought he told you, but I guess not.” She looked at her phone. “Well, I have to leave. Have fun you two!”

They watched her figure disappear down the stairs. Then Nico turned to Jason, anger clearly in his eyes. “Is she telling the truth? Is the whole reason you started talking to me because of a bet you made with Piper?”

“No! I mean, yes she was telling the truth about the bet, but it’s not what you think Nico.” Jason tried to explain, but managed to only fumble out those words. Nico removed his hand from Jason’s and crossed his arms.

“So this entire relationship started with a bet? And you didn’t bother to tell me?” Nico grounded out. “You know what Jason, I can walk the rest of the way from here. Bye.” The younger boy turned on his heel and quickly made his way down the hall. Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration. Piper was going to kill him. Reyna was going to kill him. Percy was definitely going to kill him. And if Hazel got to him first, his body would never be found. He had to fix this.


	10. Explanations Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyna is getting real tired of other people's shit and Jason explains everything

“Nico, can we please talk about this?”

“I’m sorry Reyna, did you hear something? I think I am hearing a buzzing noise in my ears.”

“Nico, come on, just let me-”

“There it is again. Strange. I should go get my hearing checked.”

“Nico please just-”

Reyna finally snapped at this. She had been in the middle of the two of them as they walked to lunch, hearing this constant battle. She didn’t know the story behind this, but she frankly didn’t care. She just wanted it to stop. Grabbing both of their wrists, she dragged the boys into an empty classroom and shut the door. “You are both being stupid and not communicating correctly. Nico, stop being rude and let Jason explain. He is obviously trying to tell you something and you are being childish.”

Nico gave her a dirty look. “I don’t want to hear whatever excuse he has for it. Nothing is going to justify the fact that the only reason we started talking was because Piper and him made a bet. I am so sick and tired of bets about this relationship.” He ranted. Reyna’s eyes widened in understanding at the situation and she sighed. Jason wouldn’t make eye contact with her.

“Jason, you never told him about the bet, did you?”

“No, because it was embarrassing! I didn’t even think that it mattered that much after we became friends.” Jason reasoned. Nico had a look of betrayal on his face.

“You knew this all started as a bet? And you never told me? What the fuck Reyna?”

Reyna looked at Jason expectantly. “Do you want to explain or should I?”

Jason sighed and turned towards Nico. The brunette boy refused to look at him. “Nico, can you please look at me when I saw this?” Silence followed. “Ok then, I’ll say it anyway. Yes, me and Piper made a bet about you, but it wasn’t a bad bet. The bet was that I wouldn’t have to guts to talk to the cute new barista in Reyna’s shop that I had been staring at for 2 weeks straight every time we went to the mall.”

Jason’s face was turning red as the information flitted through Nico’s brain. Soon, there was a splash of red on the younger boy’s cheeks as well.

“O-oh. So, when you came into the shop to talk to me-”

“I was acting on a bet.” Jason finished. “B-but the only reason we made the bet in the first place was because I didn’t have enough courage to do it in the first place. Piper was tired of me making excuses and staring at you without going in and so we made the bet.”

Nico turned to face the blonde, still blushing from the information. “So how did Drew hear about it?”

Jason rubbed his neck. “So was in the store we were in when we made the bet and overheard it.” He muttered. Reyna nodded at the explanation. Hopefully that cleared everything up.

“Are we all good now? No more passive aggressive fighting that I have to deal with?” She asked, leaning against the desk. Nico sighed.

“I’m still slightly upset that you didn’t tell me about the bet in the first place, but I guess that it doesn’t matter anymore.” He paused slightly. “But what did you win from the bet?”

Reyna laughed at his question. “I believe Jason won Piper not teasing him anymore when he ranted to the both of us about ‘the angel at the counter’ and how ‘he looked so cute’.”

“Reyna!” Jason’s exclamation made Nico chuckle at him. Nodding at Reyna, the smaller boy grabbed his boyfriend’s arm and started to pull him towards the door.

“Come on, everyone else is probably worried about us not showing up for lunch. Or getting the wrong idea.” Nico stated, obviously in a better mood now that it was a cleared up. Reyna watched as the two boys left the room, smiling to herself. Well, it looked like they were pretty happy, if Jason would stop being an idiot and Nico would jump to conclusions. She stood there for a few seconds before sighing and pulling out her phone. One last piece of business.

12:32 to ‘Group Message’ 

_If anyone makes anymore bets about_

_Nico and Jason’s relationship, I will own_

_your ass. Spread the word._

With that done, she walked out of the room and towards the table. That should get around the school by the end of the school day. Now hopefully, everything could go back to being peaceful again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a terrible person for leaving this story at the point for this long i am so sorry. This is going to be the last chapter because this story started as a prompt on my tumblr and then spiraled out of control, but I think this is the best place to stop it at unless i get more prompts about this AU.


End file.
